Several types of scoop devices for hygienically and efficiently picking up unpleasant materials, such as dog feces, from various surfaces are known. These scoop devices tend to be bulky and awkward to use. Thus, most pet owners simply place their hands in a plastic bag and collect the feces with their hands and fingers.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,080,863 discloses an apparatus for picking up an object. The apparatus is provided with an elongated handle having a lower end carrying a downwardly open bell. A tubular body inside the bell has a lower edge and can move between a lower position with the edge projecting downward past a lower bell edge and an upper position. A downwardly open bag has a closed upper end releasably retained inside the tubular body and an open end lying against an outer surface of the lower body edge. An elastic annular element engages around the body and the bag immediately above the tapered lower body edge and holds the bag against the outer surface of the lower end of the tubular body. Upward displacement of the tubular body into the upper position causes the lower bell edge to downwardly engage and push the elastic annular element downward off the tubular body.
GB 2355389 discloses a device for picking up excrement. The device comprises a holder for at least one bag which is open at one extremity, and means which is movable over the holder for pushing an elastic band, provided around the open extremity, partially away from the holder, causing the elastic band to relax and close around the bag. The holder and the movable means comprises two tubular elements, which can be pushed and slide over each other and placed over the excretions, the open extremity of the inner tubular element protruding from the outer element and being surrounded by an elastic band, and a bag being folded back with its edges over the band and the open extremity. A spring may be provided between the tubular elements which returns the device to its original position. The extremity of the inner element may either be inclined and the extreme edge may be lying in a plane which forms an angle with the longitudinal axis of the tubular elements, or may have two protrusions situated opposite to each other. These arrangements cause the band to be released first from a part of the extremity and snapping tight around the bag. Several bags may be stored in the upper portion of the inner element and a lid may be provided.
However, the devices disclosed above are limited. In particular, in the device described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,080,863, the contraction of the elastic band as it is dislodged is not likely to be sufficient to fully close the bag. There may also be problems in reliably dislodging the elastic band from the protruding edge margin of the inner body, more so if the elastic band is tightly stretched around the protruding edge margin. Thus, there remains a need to provide a device that is effective in closing a bag around solid materials, has a relatively simple structure and is cost-effective to manufacture.